El cavernícola

Ex-Beatle Starr joins a jock and some real actors in this zany stone age romp. I suppose the ringed one will never be a top actor but I always enjoy his films. This stuff was so goofy it kept me in stitches the whole time. Solid fun with loads of laughs.

This movie may not be an example of great acting, or great writing, but it is great entertainment! I could watch it 50 times, and every time, I see a little bit more. The humor is often subtle, and sometimes it hits you in the face, but it is always FUNNY.... and what's so bad about that??? I recommend this movie to anyone who wants just to laugh, and be silly, and not think too hard. Simply enjoy! Ringo is a hoot! Dennis Quaid is perfect as the simple sidekick! Barbara Bach is sexy and sufficiently manipulative. And Shelley Long does the classic good girl perfectly! And the ending is oh-so-satisfying! What more could you want?

If you're in the mood for some dumb fun, try this. Take the old Raquel Welch vehicle, One Million BC, and make it even sillier and campier, and you get this fun nonsense. A goofy parody of dinosaur films, this flick never takes itself the slightest bit seriously.

Ringo Starr shows some surprising smarts for acting and comedy, playing a cross between Woody Allen and Barney Rubble. Except no talking: just grunts. A lot of grunts. Everybody in the cast grunts. No dialogue is necessary, anyway, the endless sight gags and slapstick bits tell you what little you need to know about the plot. The plot goes something like this: Ringo goofs up and is banished from his tribe. He and Dennis Quaid (Fred to Starr's Barney)wander around encountering odd Jurassic adventures. Look for Tickle Me Elmo's prehistoric ancestors, bug eyes, screeching high pitched noises, short arms, and all; they are definitely a highlight. The cast all seem to having a blast doing the movie, and the fun comes through on the screen. Shelly Long, John Matuszak, Jack Gilford and all the rest make for a good comedic time. There's all the usual dino dung and other similar type jokes, but they work in this movie.

An exuberant cast, a clever script, and some outrageous sight gags make for cool some modern stone aged entertainment. Just turn your brain cell activity down to the "Sub-Neanderthal" level while watching.

Some movies are to be taken serious, this is not one of them. It's a comical look at prehistoric life. It's not supposed to be accurate in historic detail, it's supposed to make you laugh and this movie did just that. Ringo Starr is great as the unlikely hero Atouk and his wife at the time, Barbara Bach plays the sexy prehistoric temptress wonderfully. Watch for scenes with Shelley Long and Dennis Quaid and you get a glimpse of their early careers.

Deliberate no-brainer comedy stars none other than Ringo Starr. Ringo plays Atouk, a caveman in one zillion b.c. who is considered inferior by the bigger and stronger men of his tribe, including the leader Tonda (John Matuszak). Cast out for attempting to get with Tondas' mate Lana (Barbara Bach), whom Atouk lusts after, Atouk forms his own tribe with misfits such as his good buddy Lar (Dennis Quaid), friendly stranger Tala (Shelley Long), and her blind father Gog (Jack Gilford).

The movie is co-written by Rudy De Luca and Carl Gottlieb, the latter recognizable for having contributed to the script for "Jaws" and having played Meadows in that classic. It's often silly and childish, sometimes a little tiresome, but it's not attempting to be anything more than a goofy good time for comedy fans.

The dialect spoken by our heroes and antagonists is most amusing: "aloonda" means love, "macha" means monster, "ool" means food, etc. "Zugzug" means...well, I think you can figure that out. It's not really that necessary to have a translation handy. The gags aren't always that successful, but the ones that work are pretty funny. One has to love the cartoon physics every time that Tonda tries to throw something heavy.

The cast is lively and engaging. Ringos' hangdog looks are perfect for his hard luck character, and Dennis Quaid is a total hoot as another guy who often can't seem to catch a break. Both the stunning Bach and the sexy Long look good in skimpy cavewomen clothes. The real highlight of "Caveman" is the fantastic effects work of Jim Danforth and David Allen: those dopey dinosaurs are just hilarious and endearing. Note that the critters are credited as playing "themselves", with the exception of the Abominable Snowman, who's played by Richard Moll of 'Night Court' fame.

Lalo Schifrin's music score is most amusing - the main theme is insidiously catchy - and there's plenty of fine location shooting in Mexico.

Incidentally, this is where real-life married couple Bach and Ringo met.

If you attempted to play a drinking game for every time a character name is uttered - especially Tonda - you'd be drunk before long.

Seven out of 10.